Players win games, Teams win Championship

"There are plenty of teams in every sport that have great players and never win titles.

Most of the time, those players aren't willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team.

The funny thing is, in the end, their unwillingness to sacrifice only makes individual goals more difficult to achieve.

One thing I believe to the fullest is that if you think and achieve as a team, the individual accolades will take care of themselves.

Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships."

The Past & The Future

The Past

27th May, Sat, NUS field, 9am-12.30pm (*thanx Khairul*)
....friendlies against RJC, NUS, Blacks, Lion Red and SP girls....

28th May, Sunday, old SPE/SMU, Blacks Fun Touch, 12pm - 6pm
2nd & 3rd placed

2 - 4th June, Fri-Sun, Rugby Annual Team Tour
Fun-filled Rugby Weekend
Ramli Burger & other assortments

The Raid of Chinatown market

Who is the murderer ?

16 - 18th June, Fri-Sun, Dayang Diving Trip
A great time off Rugby, Work and the Routine

2nd July, Sunday, Some HDB field
Lion Red Touch Rugby Carnival

Subjugation of the Tournament

Champion

12th July, Wed, Yio Chu Kang Stadium
Touch NZ Mix Team clinic for SRC Players during the Asian Champions week

15-16th July, Sat-Sun, Turf City, Asian Champions Tournament

The Best clubs in Asia, Fiji, Oz & NZ in the weekend tournament

3rd in Mixed

The Future

5th Aug 2006 - 14th October 2006, Every Saturday, Turf City
National Touch Rugby League

25th - 26th November 2006, Padang
SRC Annual Oasis Touch Carnival

17th - 21st Jan 2007, Cape Town (Stellenbosch), S. Africa
2007 World Cup Touch Rugby

Tournament Overview

Tournament Details

Extensions Tour

The "Bapok" Hunt

On Saturday, 22nd July....A few of us embarked on a journey to the far "East"

Coaxed by David that the East are full of culinary treasures

...we were not disappointed

The most "Awesome-O" Satay Chessy Beef Patty Platter

...oahh..all that cheese.. oozing out...

The 60-cents Massive Pineapple Drinks with Real Pineapple
(not inclusive of happy Englishman )

Full and satisfied, we then proceeded to see the "Bapoks" at Changi

Rumours had it that the "Drag queen show" was so famous that Alan flew all the way from Wigan just to catch the glimpse of it.
All those excitement soon turned out to be a disappointment as there was not any "Sausage in a dress" on sight

We were quite impressed by Siti K's insight knowledge of the "Trans"
From "Where the Queen change their clothes" to "What time they will be out parading"... the gang was soon equipped with the "Basic 101 to Trans viewing"

"...I won't be surprised if Siti knows their names..."

Anyway, hoping to share the joy with the rest of the team (much to the delight of Adam especially), we waited to snap a few friendly pictures with them

Minutes turn to hours.... hours turn to more hours...

...we waited...

...and waited...

...and waited somemore....

The gang waited more and spent the time playing the "Guess which Airline is landing" game.

...then...

...Alan thought he saw something.... Aaah!!....Finally....
but

it

turned

out

to

be

just

Siti K

Alas!!

Fortunately, on our way back home, Sujan managed to find a bunch of the Transvestite (which look a bit like the English Forward pack)

They scared the wits out of me
but
me think the Prop-sized one liked Sujan

It seems that our night was wasted
without a single good picture
until
magnanimously
the
most
celebrated
"Bapok"
suddenly
appeared
to
remind
us
all,
why
Changi
is
so
notorious
............
...........
..........
.........
........
.......
......
.....
....
...
..
.
.
.

p.s: Sujan, at this point, was giggling with excitement

Improve ur Flexibility & Prevent Injuries

Stretching is a fundamental way to improve your overall health and fitness. By incorporating a regular flexibility program into your exercise routine you will:

• decrease pain and soreness after exercise
• improve circulation
• improve posture
• decrease muscle tension
• reduce muscle soreness
• allow time for mental training, such as visualization
• lengthen muscles and increase range of motion, which helps lengthen your stride
• help prevent muscle and joint injuries by elongating and relaxing muscles
• flush lactic acid out of your muscles.

A complete stretching routine can take as little as 10 minutes. The best time to stretch is after you have warmed up and the muscles are warm. The best time to perform your flexibility routine is after exercise. This is when the muscle is the warmest and when you can use the relaxation. Focus on stretching the muscles you use the most during your specific exercise or sport.

Proper Stretching Technique

• Perform balanced stretching. This means you should always stretch the muscles on both sides of your body evenly. Don’t stretch one side more than the other side.
• Avoid over-stretching. Never stretch to the point of pain or discomfort. You will feel slight tension or a pull on the muscle at the peak of the stretch.
• Go slow! Always stretch slowly and evenly. Hold the stretch for about fifteen seconds and release slowly as well.
• Never bounce or jerk while stretching. This can cause injury as a muscle is pushed beyond it’s ability. All stretches should be smooth, and slow.
• Don’t forget to breathe. Flexibility exercises should be relaxing. Deep easy, even breathing is key to relaxation. Never hold your breath while you stretch.

As usual, when you stretch will depend on what works for you personally. However, there are a few points that hold true for (nearly) everyone who stretches...

Stretching Do's and Do Nots
Do...

• warm up thoroughly first
• ease into a stretching routine
• only static stretches (slow, rhythmic movement)
• pay attention to your breathing (take deep belly breaths)
• make stretching a habit
• relax
• listen to your body

Do Not...

• hold your breath
• bounce
• force a stretch
• hold painful stretches
• stretch injured muscles
• hurry through your routine

Use Static Stretching
Static stretching involves a slow, gradual and controlled elongation of the muscle though the full range of motion and held for 15-30 seconds in the furthest comfortable position (without pain). This is the first and most important stretching principle. In our opinion, all stretches for each muscle group should be done by using this static form of stretching.
How often you should stretch is still not fully understood. Most professionals would agree however, that daily stretching is best, during and after exercise sessions. Frequent stretching will help you avoid muscular imbalances, knots, tightness, and muscle soreness created by daily activities and exercise

Always Warm-Up Before Stretching
A warm muscle is much more easily stretched than a cold muscle. Never stretch a cold muscle, always warm-up first to get blood circulating throughout the body and into the muscles. A warm-up should be a slow, rhythmic exercise of larger muscle groups done before an activity. Riding a bicycle or walking works well.
This provides the body with a period of adjustment between rest and the activity. The warm-up should last about 5-10 minutes and should be similar to the activity that you are about to do, but at a much lower intensity. Once you have warmed up at a low intensity for about 5-10 minutes and have gotten your muscles warm, you can now stretch.

Stretch Before and After Exercise
I recommend stretching both before and after exercise, each for different reasons. Stretching before an activity (after the warm-up) improves dynamic flexibility and reduces the chance of injury. Stretching after exercise ensures muscle relaxation, facilitating normal resting length, circulation to joint and tissue structures, and removal of unwanted waste products, thus reducing muscle soreness and stiffness. Body temperature is highest right after the cardiovascular exercise program and/or after strength training.
In order to achieve maximum results in range of motion and to receive other benefits, it is highly recommended that you do static stretching at this point in your workout, just after your cardiovascular program and during or after your strength-training program.

It is your body, take good care of it... if not, Burma will.....(see pic above)

More readings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretching
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warming_up

Touch Rugby; the Mecca for good Rugby Sevens players

Stumbled upon Creaker's article about a site where there was an article written by the great Rugby Seven’s coach Gordon Tietjiens.

There are many similarities that can be drawn from touch rugby and sevens rugby. Gordon Tietjiens notes “For example I’ll have a look at Touch Rugby tournaments where I can identify players who have sufficient skills to be a very good Sevens players.”

He has 3 key principles. Support play, depth, and using the width of the field.
In touch rugby, support play coming from depth and using the width of the field at the right time is crucial. Another point Gordon mentions is fitness which is vital. Having a squad with a high fitness base is extremely important.
"everything revolves around general play, so you need players who have speed and who are superbly fit. It is important that you share the physical workload across the team so that every team member is fit enough to contribute, particularly off the ball. I am very demanding on fitness and generally I'll train players in a fatigue state as I put a huge emphasis on players working off the ball"

A lot of players such as Jonah Lomu and Christian Cullen went onto higher honours from sevens rugby.
Play hard and play fair. You never know who might be watching. You might even get a phone call one day...

...but for now, bear with the SMS-es from me...

The full article can be viewed at http://rugby7.com/7tietjens.asp

Some great quotes that we can relate to:

"You need to encourage support play both with and without the ball as you need players who will really make the defense work and create holes for the ball carrier"

"I encourage coaches to base their training on how they want to play the game and obviously that will depend on the type of players that they have available to them. You also have to be able to identify what you want with your team and coaches need an ability to analyze the opposition and really look at the teams that you are playing, things like seeing who the steppers are, where the speed is, and what type of player the opposition are using"

"The area that most teams can improve on is getting support players into the pocket and make sure that there is depth in support to ensure continuity in the attack"

"Once players have made the pass then they should drop as they need to ensure that their support realign off the guy in the pocket"

"The bottom line is that you have to be prepared to help players develop and if players really want to make the grade then they have to make a commitment and be prepared to change their lifestyles to make it"

Separated at Birth?

More World Cup look-a-likes

Italian goal keeper Buffon and actor William Fichtner (from such films as Black Hawk Down and Perfect Storm)

From Angel, Italian defender and all-round gobshite Marco Materazzi and actor John Turturro (from the film Secret Window)

Zidane and a crazy bull

I think pop star Daniel Bedingfield is a fat look-a-like for Joe Cole

Peter Crouch and a Crane

Mexico’s coach Ricardo la Volpe and Captain Pugwash

Last but not least a swede and a swede

Peter Walters: The New Zealand Touch Legend

On 12th July, SRC training was graced by the presence of

Peter Walters

"The Touch Blacks ex-captain and long serving NZ player &

Player of the All-Nation Tournament in Mixed Open &

currently the NZ Academy Technical director"

A further seach on his details on Google revealed nothing else

but Peter is definitely no slack

In any way...
I have found the list of guys touring Singapore for Asian Championship

(this may interest the src ladies and david teo)

click here for New Zealand Touch website

Bet on Your Own Team

A Cut Out From Page 2 of the Straights Times.1/7/2006

Indon : We will carry the trophy come this Sunday.
This was the promise made by Indonesian Star Import Yohanes Leander 2 weeks ago as he walked off the field and into the nearest Singapore Ppools Betting Counter.

After looking at the odds and flirting with the aunty in the Singapore Ppools Counter, the grinning 6 packian gave a thumbs up sign and said "Aye don’t report this, but if we win, I’ll treat the whole team to dinner." Amazing generosity. When asked whether he would treat the fans too with his winnings, he smirked and said "Use my house, eat my food, watch my tv, not enough ar? Aiyah never mind la.. I’ll treat anyone dinner if we win, just come down my place, anytime unannouced also ok....me casa is su casa"

Unfortunately for him and luckily for us, the betting slip that he had just received, fell out of his pocket and into my wallet.
I’m sure he’ll still keep his word though.


Looks like he has a lot of confidence in his team. We wish the 6packians all the luck in the Lion Red Touch Carnival as they embark on their conquest of the touch scene here in Singapore.

Below : A look at Leander's Winnings

Interview with a fan

It’s easy to miss 6 Pack fans amongst the masses of football jerseys roaming Singapore in support of the World Cup, but they’re out there. I snapped this tired fan on the MRT and decided to interview him about his new found 6 Pack following.



Mat Salleh: So how did you first learn about 6 Pack?

Fan: Actually it was my two gorgeous twin sisters that told me about the team. They’ve been supporting the team since it’s birth. I think they both have a thing for Alan and his chiselled good looks.

Mat Salleh: Well, they’re only human. What about you? You must have a favourite?

Fan: My favourite changes all the time. I used to like David but he went through a phase of getting “owned” all the time so I swapped to Loo. His departure was heartbreaking, it was 10 times worse than when Take That broke up, I cried for a week. I then swapped to Hadi but lost respect for him when he got stepped by a 10-year-old kid on the KL tour.

Mat Salleh: Have you ever thought about joining the squad?

Fan: Well, I can always live to dream, but I’m told you have to have a six-pack to play for 6 Pack, which makes me wonder how Adam got involved

Mat Salleh: Oh, well I’m told he’s officially the water boy but he knows Super Auntie very well and you’d be crazy to mess with her

Fan: True dat, I think she could take out Superman

Mat Salleh: Is there anything you’d like to say to the team or other fans?

Fan: Yes, to the fans, keep it real; don’t be tricked by those imitation tops. To the team, win the NTL for me, cheers

Owen's not alone

ACL curse hits 6 Pack

Michael Owen isn’t the only famous sportsman to suffer an ACL injury this week. 6 Packs own Khairul has joined a long list of sporting greats to succumb to such an injury.

Rugby: Lawrence Dallaglio, Charlie Hodgson
Football: Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Lothar Matthaus, Alessandro del Piero, Henrik Larsson
Tennis: Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles
Golf: Greg Norman
Cricket: Simon Jones
Skiing: Bode Miller, Picabo Street
American football: Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice

The commonly injured structures in the knee include the cruciate ligaments, cartilages or menisci, joint capsule ligaments (medial or lateral), and kneecap or patella. Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) results in a lengthy period on the sideline.



The ACL runs inside the knee joint between the tibia (shin bone) and the femur (thigh bone) in an oblique direction that makes the knee bend like a hinge, and to limit rotation in the joint. Thus if the knee is jammed back or hyper-extended such as in a tackle, or bent and twisted excessively. For example,



For a typical person, an ACL injury would normally take between 8-12 months to get back to full fitness. Lucky for Khairul the 6 Pack team will be on hand to help out with his rehabilitation.

Phase one (0-2 weeks after surgery)
The knee will be swollen after the operation, so the first job is to reduce the swelling. After that, the physio will make the patient do a few light exercises like isometric contractions - keeping the leg still but moving the muscles around the knee. Yum will also be around to feed Khairul ice cream while wearing a nurses outfit and mopping his feverish brow during those first uncomfortable nights.

Phase two (2-6 weeks after surgery)
The swelling should have disappeared, but the graft usually weakens around this time. The physio may have to back off from the rehabilitation programme until the ligament is up to more exercises. The patient should be walking normally by then. Adam will be on hand to cook, clean and fight with Xiang Junn over who gets to offer their sponge bath services.

Phase three (6-12 weeks after surgery)
By this stage, the knee should be getting stronger and able to take more strain.
The patient should be able to go swimming and use a road bike to get the knee back on track, as well as doing more strength exercises. David will ensure no remission in Khairuls rehabilitation programme by singing in his angelic voice songs from the Rocky albums during his workouts.

Phase three (3-6 months)
The patient will have their full range of movement and strength back, so they can start running properly once more. They should be able to get back to specific drills and training. Leanders will issue you with the latest version of the 6 Pack play book to revise, yes there will be a test!

Phase four (6-12 months)
The patient should be able to return to playing sport with their surgeon's approval. Ah return to the 6 Pack family!

Good luck with the rehabilitation mate, get well soon.